|
The COVID-19 case rate in Snohomish County appears to have stopped climbing. But it is has stalled at 227 cases per 100,000 population, the third-highest level reached during the pandemic. Now is our chance to knock it down. #Vaxupsnoco #InItTogether
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday expanded its emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age. The FDA decision amend its emergency authorization, originally issued on Dec. 11, 2020, that cleared the way for administration of the vaccine to people 16 and older.
This is the first of five review decisions by federal and state public health regulators that would be required before the vaccine could become available to people as young as 12 in Washington.
“The FDA’s expansion of the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age is a significant step in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “Today’s action allows for a younger population to be protected from COVID-19, bringing us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy and to ending the pandemic. Parents and guardians can rest assured that the agency undertook a rigorous and thorough review of all available data, as we have with all of our COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorizations.”
From March 1, 2020 through April 30, 2021, approximately 1.5 million COVID-19 cases in individuals 11 to 17 years of age have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Children and adolescents generally have a milder COVID-19 disease course as compared to adults.
See the FDA’s full press release for more information that agency’s action.
The graphic below outlines the other steps that would be required before the vaccine could be made available here. Before that happens, no vaccination appointments are being scheduled for patients ages 12 to 15 at Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce vaccination sites or clinics.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released new guidelines for fully vaccinated people. Here are some of those guidelines. Even though you might be fully vaccinated, you still must take COVID precautions.
Facebook
Twitter
 Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and Snohomish Health District Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters were joined by Simone Tarver, Snohomish County NAACP, and Karina Gasperin, Snohomish County Latino Coalition for the weekly update on COVID-19.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF8zhOlUe6E
|
